Pueblo -- Colorado State University - Pueblo received a $20,000 grant as part of a new partnership between the Colorado Institute of Technology (CIT) and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) to develop and implement a new course this fall entitled "Gateway to Space."

CSU-Pueblo along with University of Colorado at Boulder, Mesa State College and Ft. Lewis College submitted a joint proposal for the creation of a program called C-SMARTS (Colorado Students and Mentors Applying Research and Technology in Space) to CIT and CCHE last December. The proposal was subsequently accepted and funded last month.

Based on the Colorado Space Grant Consortium's successful Gateway course and BalloonSat program, C-SMARTS will bring Colorado Aerospace company engineers and scientists into the classroom to help students develop small satellites that will carry their company's technologies to the edge of space on a high altitude balloon. According to Wolfgang Sauer, chair of the engineering technology department at CSU-Pueblo, the students involved with the C-SMARTS program will discover the value of applying their education to real life issues.

"The BalloonSat concept is the centerpiece hands-on activity of the C-SMARTS course," Sauer said. "Eleven lab activities lead to the construction and integration of a real working satellite; students start out with the basics of circuit and power construction and end up with a simple imaging satellite capable of taking and recording atmospheric data and demonstrating Colorado technologies."

Through an arrangement with CCHE, CIT administered the process to award Technology Advancement Group (TAG) monies collected through Colorado's tire recycling program. The TAG monies were awarded as part of the recently completed grant process.

Funding for the grants came from the TAG monies as well as from donations to CIT by its sponsors: Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Hitachi Data Systems, Level 3 Communications, Oracle Corporation, Qwest, and Sun Microsystems.

"These grants underscore the steady support we've received to further Colorado as a high-tech hub," said Gov. Owens. "The partnership between CIT and CCHE on these grants is a great example of Colorado State agencies and initiatives working together toward common goals."

CIT was established in 2000 as part of Governor Owen's goal to keep Colorado competitive on a national level through excellence in technology higher education, tech workforce development, and technological innovation driven by academic partnering with industry and government.

The C-SMARTS program will create and implement portable, higher education, hands-on courses that will develop qualified students ready to contribute to Colorado's aerospace industry. A diverse population of undergraduate students will be recruited into the program.

"These grants strengthen vital partnerships among higher education and business to develop leading technology in a way that creates jobs and economic growth," said Rick O'Donnell, executive director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.